Who Has the Most to Prove on the 2015 Orioles?

Who has the most to prove in 2015? The cop-out answer to this question is everyone. A case could be made for each player – Steve Johnson, to prove he’s a major league player… Brian Matusz needs to validate the fact that the team is overpaying for a LOOGY… Everth Cabrera, in making the case that he’s a “good guy now.”

But these six players have a lot on the line this season, and the Orioles will need solid contributions from them, in order to make noise in the AL East, and the playoffs.

Manny Machado

Can Manny Machado stay healthy? Though the 22-year old third baseman has declared himself “good to go” on “two brand new knees,” fans and the organization have to wonder if his body will hold up without another horrific injury, and if he manages to stay healthy, if he can live up to the promise he showed before blowing out both knees. The Orioles need Machado, as and infield including Schoop and Flaherty did not provide enough pop in the playoffs.

Chris Davis

Will the real Chris Davis please stand up? Is he the Crush of 2013? The one who clubbed 50+ home runs, and made a real push in the MVP race? Or is he the Mark Reynolds Lite who we saw in 2014? I am not particularly moved by the argument that Davis’ therapeutic use ADHD medicine factors very deep into the discussion. A more likely culprit is the oblique injury he suffered last year, and whether he handled it properly. Still, 2013 could simply be a pleasant aberration, but he can’t possibly be as bad as last year, right?

Davis goes into free agency after 2013, and needs to prove that he’s an established star, so that agent Scott Boras can charge a king’s ransom for him.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Speaking of a king’s ransom, let’s talk Ubaldo Jimenez. Signed to the richest free-agent contract for a pitcher in Orioles’ history, Jimenez’s greatest contribution to the 2014 team was stepping on a pothole at the right time.

If you listen to some in Birdland, Jimenez has to prove himself to his teammates, after having skipped out on the ALCS when he was omitted from the roster. I am not sure that I buy it – particularly when the supposed slight can be resolved, as with everything, with winning. If Ubaldo Jimenez can be a league-average pitcher in 2015, it will bring great value to a rotation of good-but-not-great depth, and go a long way to saving his contract from being an all-out bust.

Zach Britton

Will Zach Britton solidify himself as a dominant MLB closer, or will he pull a Jim Johnson? Britton’s role on the team was very much in question last Spring. Out of options, and to inconsistent to compete for a spot in the rotation, Britton squeezed by in the bullpen. He embraced the role, and with help from Dom Chiti and Dave Wallace, finally mastered his splitter. That pitch allowed him to become a one-trick pony (used 95% of the time, according to Baseball Info Solutions), and was good enough to rack up 37 saves and a 1.65 ERA.

But can he do it again? The only closer to successfully live of one pitch was also the last to wear #42. You’ll see him in bronze some day (and not just Yankee Stadium – they do that for just about anyone).  Britton will have to weather a league’s worth of adjustment, and prove 2014 was not a fluke.

Matt Wieters

Mix a little of the comments on Manny Machado and a little on Chris Davis, and you’ve got Matt Wieters’ situation. 2015 represents a contract year, and though he is one of the premier defensive catchers in the game, Wieters has never lived up to the hype offensively. The prospect who inspired Matt Wieters Facts is a career .257 hitter.

In his 112 plate appearances in 2014, Wieters seemed to have put it all together – average, power, and clutch (yes, that’ a real thing). The question is, can Wieters repeat that over a full season, or was his hot start last season a tease? Wieters has millions of reasons in the offseason depending on it. The team, having taken the offseason as a holiday, will need it, too, in order for the 2015 Orioles to compete.

Steve Pearce

Was there a better story than Steve Pearce in 2014? The player who has bounced around many MLB clubs finally found consistent playing time, and made the most of it. Think back to his sticking with the club when they released him. Think to the tears in his eyes during ALDS post-game interviews. Pearce didn’t simply hit the ball with authority, he was everything we want our baseball players to be.

The danger for Steve Pearce is being exposed with additional playing time. As Scott alluded to Episode 110 of Bird’s Eye View, there is concern that Pearce is a strict fastball hitter, and that the league will neutralize him with a steady diet of the breaking stuff. Steve Pearce doesn’t have to prove that he is an every day player – he simply needs to prove that he can be called upon for 350+ ABs, play multiple positions, and remain hot off the bench. In many ways that’s a harder job than starting.

 Featured Image credit: Getty Images/Patrick Smith